Adil Najam
Government sources in Pakistan have just announced that Nawab Akbar Bugti, chief of the Bugti tribe, veteran politician, and senior Baluchistan leader, has been killed in a shootout between “tribal militants and government forces” in Balochistan.
This is very sad and disturbing news that cannot bode well for anyone. While details are still coming in, BBC reports:
The battle near his mountain hideout in south-west Pakistan also caused heavy casualties on both sides, reports say. More than 20 soldiers and at least 30 rebels died, officials say. The octogenarian has been at the head of a tribal campaign to win political autonomy and a greater share of revenue from Balochistan’s gas reserves. “It is confirmed, Nawab Bugti has been killed in an operation,” Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani told Reuters news agency. The battle reportedly took place near the town of Dera Bugti, not far from Mr Bugti’s hideout.
According to a newsflash posted on The News website:
Jamhori Watan Party (JWP) chief Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti was killed in a historical operation carried out by security forces in Kohlu and Murree tribal areas on Saturday night, Federal Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani confirmed… Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP-P) leader Makhdoom Amin Faheem termed Akbar Bugti’s death an incident which could worsen security situation in Pakistan.
The death, and the manner of death, of the veteran Baluch leader will indeed worsen the security situation in Baluchistan and exacerbate the feeling of marginalization amongst Baluchis. Nawab Bugti had, at various points in his life, ‘butted heads’ with just about all major leaders in Pakistan. His recent standoff with the Musharraf government was not the highpoint of his own political career but it may well be the lowest point of the Musharraf rule. However, more than the implications on immediate politics – which will become more clear and more pronounced over the next many days – this marks a tragic end to the life of an important political leader.
Born on July 12, 1927, Nawab Bugto was a ‘ tribal’ who was educated at Oxford, England, Aitchison College, Lahore and Karachi Grammar School and has served as Governor and Chief Minister of Baluchistan. Mr. Bugti’s legacy was clearly a mixed one and will be much debated and much dissected. He was, however, a major leader and this was indeed a sad and tragic way to go.
The killing of a Sardar Bugti IS a big deal both because who he was and how it was done. But as often happens on these websites we are makig more than there is to what IS a big story. Comparisons to his movement being a separatist insurgency or his being at teh verge of seccession and 1971 are hyperbole and exagerations. He was not without faults, mostly feudal faults. But nor was he this great mastermind of seccession and all bad. Maybe rational rather than emotional analysis is needed. These comments feed on extreme views. Too many comments are moving to extreme positions.
And please, everyone, lets not make this another India-Pakistan point scoring game. Why are we so incapable of holding ourselves from scoring cheap shots.
Good points Mr.Qureshi, but before Bugti Left Dera Bugti he nominated Bhramdagh Bugti as his Political hier and Aali Bugti as a hier to his tribe throne. I also heard some people with in the family are unhappy with this and did conseted there protest to bugti but I am not sure it was true or not. If as it is claimed that both are safe why didnt they accompanied their grandfather with them intead left him to die. Every stopry has tw sides and this one seems to have mroe then 5, BLA will be using it to its advantage, goverment to theirs, rival tribal leaders hungry to be the new Sardars to their own.
Till his body is recoverd a fullscale investigation is done and its reports are published this will never be cleared. It could also be possile that Bugti killed himself as he would have preferd to DIE rather then surrender.
Although I am not sure about the ponint you mentioned sying tht BLA members have resorted to suicide bombing against security forces that was done in WANA not here.
Without discovering the body and authenticated evidence, crime of murder cannot be legally established to have been committed. Although Government had a motive to neutralize Bugti, but its intentions to kill by sacrificing its officers and jawans is not understandable.
Osama bin Laden is wanted dead or alive by the lone super power for terror attacks in US. Why on similar charges, including several attacks on US consulate in Karachi through BLA, Bugti was not declared wanted?
Internal tussles within Bugti’s tribal hierarchy and killings for the top positions are well known from their history.Why this angle has alluded minds finding the truth in this case?
Bugti’s field operators are known to resort to suicide bombings for achieving ends. Why the possibility of a suicide attack on law enforcing authorities at cave’s entrance is not examined? this possibility would have two angles. One to subvert the authorities’ action, in which case possibility of Bugti being inside the cave and killed becomes highly improbable and secondly, the palace coup conspiracy, which carries high probability, as the blame in that case would exclusively land on the Government, keeping the actual perpetrator of the coup out of harms way.
The news of Bugti’s death was broken by private TV channels and confirmed by the Government, based upon Bugti family resources. Initially two grand-sons of Akbar Bugti were also reported killed. Now they are reported to have escaped unhurt.This means that, there was another way out from the 150 feet deep cave. In that case, what made Bugti to remain inside the cave which was susceptible to collapse under attack, if not family conspiracy?
Above question need convincing answers before reaching any definite conclusion.
Mr. Saifullah Malik,
Please be polite and dont use irritating words.
what you want to say with MAD-MULLA. Please, dont use such words. Please be polite in expressing your thoughts.
Mr. Adnan Siddiqi,
Since I did not have any relative working in Sui, my information about Balochistan is based mostly on what I read in Pakistani newspapers and hear on TV. And, by the way, I also had a karachi domicile and heard the same stories that you did about the Sardars and Nawabs of Balochistan. I didn’t like them — neither the stories nor the Sardars. They have some nasty habits and some of their values are different than mine. I wish we could have abolished the tribal and sardari system long time ago. But my personal likes or preferences do not negate the facts that I listed in my earlier comment. And, let me add one more fact to the four I already mentioned:
BLA was neither created by Bugti nor was it headed by him. It was headed by a Marri, which, as you must have heard from your relative in Sui, is a different tribe and was hostile to Bugtis.